A League of Their Own: Lingerie Football

Sept. 5, 2009— -- The quarterback wears a helmet, shoulder pads-- and a bikini.

And most players add mascara and lip gloss. This is no ordinary football game. It's Lingerie League football—the newest pigskin league that is equal parts skin and football.

What started as a novelty pay-per-view alternative to the Super Bowl half-time show is now a league of its own. Models and attractive college students —dressed in next to nothing—play 7 on 7 full contact football. There are ten national teams—all of them, named to capture the interest of their mostly male fan base—the Dallas Desire, the Los Angeles Temptation and the San Diego Seduction.

The league kicks off its inaugural season Friday, Sept. 4, with the Chicago Bliss taking on the Miami Caliente.

"I've always loved sports and I have a passion for it, so that's why this is a perfect match for me," explains Danielle Moinet, a cornerback, and captain of the Chicago Bliss. She saw the Lingerie Bowl during a Super Bowl game, and wanted to play, so she attended an audition and made the team.

Moinet is a part-time model who also works for a nutritional supplement company. Her 19 teammates have varied backgrounds. One is a police officer, another works as a nurse, and a half dozen more attend college or grad school. Most were college athletes.

"Some girls use it as a way to escape from the nine-to-five, some girls do it because they love playing sports and this is something they want to do. Everyone does it for different reasons," explains Moinet.

While some members of the Lingerie League have dated football players, few had experience playing the game. That was a huge challenge for Rasche Hill, assistant coach for the Bliss. Hill is a former NFL player for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who spent six years on the Chicago Slaughter, an arena team. He explained his initial reluctance to work with the Bliss.

"When I first thought about it, I was a little skeptical. I had seen the Lingerie Bowls during the Super Bowl a couple of times. It was just a bunch of pretty girls in lingerie bumping around. It was not what we play."